Posts Tagged ‘Nostalgic History’

Bit-O-History

There’s something great about the sweet stick-to-your teeth Bit-O-Honey that everybody knows and loves. It’s a nostalgic treat that’s been around for what feels like an eternity. But did you know all the chewy details of its past?

Bit-O-Honey first took the stage in 1924. In that year, Schutter-Johnson Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, created a new kind of candy bar. A bar made of almond bits in a honey-flavored taffy; Bit-O-Honey was a far cry from popular chocolate bars at the time.

Made with egg white for extra chew, the six pieces of taffy wrapped in wax paper were a huge success. People were craving that taffy from the minute it was on the market!

Bit-O-Change

Then in 1969, Schutter-Johnson Company merged with NYC’s Ward Company, the makers of Chunky, Oh Henry! and Raisinets. It was during the time of this merger that a chocolate version of the treat, aptly named, Bit-O-Chocolate was made. However, something about the chocolate variety didn’t catch on, and the product was later discontinued.

Other flavors like Bit-O-Licorice and Bit-O-Peanut Butter were also made, but, once again, failed to find wide approval. Clearly, when it comes to Bit-O-Honey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Bit-O-Bee

Although the different flavors didn’t work out so well, there was an addition from the late 70’s that did manage to stick around. Can you guess what it is? The Bit-O-Honey bumblebee, of course!

This guy has been adorning Bit-O-Honey wrappers for over 30 years! And, just like the original flavor, he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Bit-O-Quality

Nestle bought the Bit-O-Honey brand in 1984, and just last year, Pearson’s Candy Company purchased Bit-O-Honey from Nestle. But while this classic treat has been shuffled around quite a bit in its day, you can bet that the Bit-O-Honey you bite into now is just as good as the original.

Nothing says childhood quite like PEZ. There’s something nostalgic about these familiar little treats that bring back memories of yesteryear with each and every bite. But would you believe that your favorite PEZ didn’t start out as the fruity candy we know and love today? It’s true! In fact, this is one candy that has a history that may surprise you.

Pfefferminz to PEZ

Eduard Haas III invented PEZ in 1927, in Vienna, Austria. The name of the candy originated from the German word for peppermint, which happens to be “pfeffermintz.” Haas took the ‘p,’ ‘e,’ and ‘z’ from the German word to get the candy’s name, PEZ. And after eight years, the company was doing so well that they had to build a factory in Czechoslovakia to increase production.

PEZ For Your Health

Then in 1948, Oscar Uxa revolutionized the PEZ experience, designing a PEZ dispenser that allowed one piece of candy to be dispensed at a time. This was a sanitary measure that prevented people from touching every piece of candy before choosing one. However, it also doubled as an anti-smoking campaign.

The push for people to eat PEZ instead of smoking a cigarette was a real one. In fact, early slogans for the candy boasted, “No smoking, PEZing Allowed” as Haas hoped his candy might lower smoking rates.

PEZ in the USA

It wasn’t until 1952 that PEZ made their way to the United States. In that year, the first U.S. PEZ headquarters were established in New York City. Despite PEZ’s success in Europe, Curtis Allina, the first president of PEZ in the U.S., found the candy difficult to sell because of the strong peppermint flavor. So, in an attempt to draw children to the brand, PEZ came up with the idea to create fruity flavored versions and cute, character-themed dispensers.

The idea worked. In no time, children and adults alike were in love with PEZ. The very first dispensers available were a Full-body Santa, Robot, and Space Gun. And since then, the character-themed dispensers have really taken off! Today, there are countless different PEZ dispensers to choose from, and ten different candy flavors available. We have Hello Kitty PEZ Dispensers, Marvel Superhero PEZ dispensers, and everything in between. There really is a PEZ for everybody.

From Far to Near

And while PEZ are sold worldwide, the PEZ candy that you eat in the USA is made in America. So with a single satisfying click of any PEZ dispenser, you can feel good knowing that the candy in your mouth is really much closer to home than you would expect.